Transcript William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare
Life of William Shakespeare
• Known as the world’s most
performed & admired playwright
• Born approximately on April 23,
1564 in Stratford-upon-Avon,
England
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Father: John Shakespeare
– Whittawer: maker, worker and seller of leather
goods such as purses, belts & gloves
– Also was a dealer of agricultural commodities such
as wool, grain, malt and other farm produce
– Active in Stratford-upon-Avon government until
financial difficulties began
– Illiterate
– Died 1601 (60 years old)
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Mother: Mary Arden
– Married John Shakespeare in 1557
– Had eight children
• William was the 3rd child and first son
– Her role in the family was to bring up the
Shakespeare family
– Died September 9th, 1608 of unknown causes (68
years old)
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Education
– Attended the “Free School” Elementary School
• Motivation = Parents’ Illiteracy
• Studied Latin, Latin Grammar, ancient writers, and
mythology
• Learned to write and recite Latin
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Education (cont’d)
– At age 13 or 14, Shakespeare was withdrawn
from school by his father so that he could help
father run his business
– Also received education from his mandatory
attendance at church, where he was influenced
by the Bible, The Book of Common Prayer, &
Foxe’s Acts & Monuments
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Married Anne Hathaway
– November 28, 1582
– William was 18; Anne was 26
– Anne 3 months pregnant when they married
– Marriage done in haste
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Children
– 1st child: Susanna
• Born 6 months after William & Anne married
• May 26, 1583
– 2 years later:
• Twins born: Hamnet & Judith
–Hamnet died @ age 11 for unknown causes
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• The “Lost” Years
– 1586 to 1592
– Shakespeare moved to London
• Believed that Shakespeare moved to London to avoid
prosecution for poaching deer
• Leaves wife and children in Stratford
– Became involved in the theatre
• Lord Chamberlain’s Men
– Began writing poetry and plays
– No record of Shakespeare’s activities until 1592 when
Shakespeare is criticized by a rival playwright
Life of William Shakespeare (cont’d)
• Career
– Gained fame about age 21
– Member and part owner of Lord Chamberlain’s
Men (later became known as King’s Men)
– Was an actor for about 20 years, which is where
he earned most of his money
– Wrote 37 plays
• Was paid approximately $40 to write a play
– Wrote 154 sonnets
Shakespeare’s Works
• Shakespeare’s Early Works can be divided into
4 groups:
1. The Classical Plays
2. The History Plays
3. The Narrative Poems and Sonnets
4. Experiments in comedy
Shakespeare’s Works (cont’d)
• 4 Major Works
– Romeo & Juliet
– Julius Caesar
– Hamlet
– Macbeth
Shakespeare’s Death
• Died April 23, 1616
– 52 years old
– Died of unknown causes
The Globe Theatre
Facts about the Globe Theatre
• Built in 1599
• Where most of Shakespeare’s plays were
performed
• Built of the wood
• London’s most magnificent theatre ever seen
• Located across the Thames River
• Shakespeare was co-owner of “The Globe
Theatre”
• Motto: “All the world’s a stage”
• Also known as the “Wooden O”
Facts about the Globe Theatre (cont’d)
• June 1613 – Theatre burned to the ground
• Rebuilt in 1613
• 1642 – Closed by the Puritans
Layout of “The Globe Theatre”
• Could hold approximately 3,000 spectators
• To advertise a play, a colored flag was flown
indicating the type of play that would be
performed
• Large, circular or octagonal design, 3 stories high
• At the base of the stage, was the “pit” for the
groundlings to stand and watch the play
– Cost to stand: one penny
• Around the base was 3 levels of seating
– First 2 levels = Twopenny Rooms
– Third Level = Penny Gallery
Layout of “The Globe Theatre”
Facts about Performances
• Minimum scenery, natural lightning, words in
play gave time & day of play
• NO female actresses
• Minimum furniture props
• Pig bladders filled with blood were used in
death/stabbing scenes
• No curtains
Actors
• Had to be able to fence, tumble, dance, sing,
and play two roles in one play
• Had to have strong voices with good elocution
(no microphones)
• Lord Chamberlain’s Men
– Acting company of “The Globe Theatre”
– Company consisted of 10-12 adults, 6 boy
apprentices & 2-3 stage hands
Costumes
• Authentic to the actor’s times
• Received by buying costumes cheaply from
servants who inherited them
• Color of Costumes was symbolic
Women
• Theatre was not appropriate for women
• Only the extremely wealthy women were
allowed in the theatre but had to be escorted
by a Lord
• In the “Pit,” the Ladies of the Evening often
solicited business from the groundlings before
performance